A high status four ton slab, forty centimetres thick and measuring two metres by two metres, was unearthed by archaeologists excavating at the site of a major Pictish Royal centre. Using a giant crane to remove the slab, known as a capstone, a burial chamber was revealed containing what little remained of a Bronze Age body and grave goods. The underside of the capstone had been engraved with a spiral and axe shape. The cist, built using large sandstone slabs in a rectangular shape, had several axes and other weapon engravings where the head of the deceased would have been positioned. Such carvings in that part of Scotland are very rare although there are similar carvings at Kilmartin Glen, in Argyll. Thought to be of high social standing, the body had been laid on a bed of white quartz pebbles and an interwoven lattice of birch bark. Amongst the grave goods were a dozen personal possessions which included a leather bag, wooden objects and a bronze dagger with a ribbed gold band around the hilt. The discovery of plant matter among the remains were later found to be flowers, possibly meadowsweet, and is the first evidence that Bronze Age people placed flowers with their dead. Radiocarbon tests and the style of metalwork found in the grave suggest that the tomb dates from between 1950 BC and 2100 BC. Prehistorian Dr. Noble has said of the find: "The sheer size of the stone slabs used to construct the tomb, the extremely rare rock engravings, the rare preservation of the leather, wood, and bark items and the high status location make this a find of both national and international importance".
Archaeological Site
The head of Historic Scotland archaeology programmes and grants said of the find: The same location is also believed to have been the site of a palace, around 3000 years later, where a King of the Picts and first King of Scotland, Kenneth MacAlpin, died and was buried in AD 858, and whose dynasty continued to produce kings of a united Scotland. Among other excavations and finds were an early historic cemetery, which would have been associated with the Royal centre at Forteviot, and a NeolithicHenge constructed from timber dating back to 2600BC which project director Dr Kenneth Brophy said "would dwarf Stonehenge" in size. A major prehistoric monument was also uncovered, revealing the entrance avenue of a massive timber enclosure dating to the late Neolithic period. Also excavated was a nearby hill fort, and there was a survey at an early Christian chapel.
